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The information contained in this FAQ is intended to be free to read and use. However, please do not plagiarize my writing - if you need to reproduce this information elsewhere, do it with your own words. If for some reason you still find it necessary to copy my words, please provide the proper credit.



This is a version of the same Guide and Move List I wrote on GameFAQs, and as such can also be read there with some different formatting. Everything you should need for the Steam version is here.

Due to some portions not being relevant and space concerns, the following information can only be found in the GameFAQs version:

• Special Names, Intros & More - Listing of special team names, intros, trivia, etc
  
• Specifics on console link - A feature cut from this port as it involved linking the Neo Geo Pocket Color to another system or a Sega Dreamcast
  
• Nintendo Switch VS mode display switching - Used when playing head to head on one Nintendo Switch screen in portable mode
  
• Achievement listing - Redundant since they're already shown on Steam. No special information as they are very straightforward ("unlock x character", etc)
  
• Full update information on all changes made throughout the original guide's history, as well as the "To Do" list

SNK of America - Releasing the Neo Geo Pocket Color and its games in the US, and creating the television and print ads that brought it all to my attention.

Kao Megura - Author of a great many of the very best fighting game FAQs, which enhanced my enjoyment and understanding of SNK and Capcom titles. R.I.P.

iNFAMESS - Tested the Movie Select unlock through Neo Geo Pocket (black & white) trick on Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1

Protocultor - Spotting input typos I missed.

fos - Pointing out how the Steam PC version's funky version of integer zoom in works.

Sara Leen - Help on getting GameFAQs HTML format into the Steam Guide version.

A big thanks to all the authors of the original SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium guides at GameFAQs:

-JGolden - The first FAQ I ever read
-GKyoko
-OSabi
-Z-Force
-JckHamr123
-GalFord
-RPocket
-ALin
-Razorclaw X
-ruhztee
-Last Boss
-ReyVGM
-Akira EX

Further References

Kao Megura
-His translations preferred for Orochi Iori and Evil Ryu's full names
(The true final bosses)
-Also generally preferred his takes on SNK move names

neogeo.freeplaytech dot com
-Backup of the original Choujou Kessen Saikyou Fighters SNK vs Capcom website

SNK Perfect Database
-Information on panel break unlocks (double checked)
-Some move list verification

Kakuge dot com
-Verifying some miscellaneous information

This section goes over parts specific to the Steam version. This is a port of the Nintendo Switch version, but adds a few expected PC specific options.

How many versions are there?

Only the single individual download version of this game exists on Steam.

As for why there may be some confusion on this, there is a NEOGEO POCKET COLOR SELECTION Vol.1 on Nintendo Switch, a compilation which includes this game. However, the "Steam Edition" of that compilation DOES NOT include SNK vs Capcom, and replaces it with the game Crush Roller.

How do I go full screen?

This game starts in window mode. To go full screen, press Alt + Enter on the keyboard. Enter this again to go back to window mode.

There is input lag! What is going on?

In this game, tapping or holding the buttons determines which attack strength (weak or heavy) you get. On the original cart, there's a bit of input lag so the game can determine whether your input was a press or a hold. This has been confirmed by Code Mystics, who made this port.

As far as I can personally tell from years of playing the game on Neo Geo Pocket Color, this does indeed seem to match up with the original.

Zooming in and out of the screen isn't pixel perfect!

See the section a bit further below on Integer Scaling for how you can force it into optimal magnifications.


Press the Esc on keyboard button to access the emulator menu, with the following options
(You can remap this button in the Controls section)

Button controls can vary drastically depending on controller used, so I will describe these with default Keyboard controls (which should also work as long as you have a working keyboard)

Not noted anywhere directly:
The program normally launches in windowed mode. To go into full screen mode, press Alt + Enter on the keyboard.



When using the - / + keys or Mouse Wheel to change the zoom setting, if you hold Enter while doing so, it will lock the zoom magnifications to integer correct sizes. This means the screen sizes you get will be "correct" magnifications that show the pixels perfectly without any warping, which is something that can happen at some zoom sizes when using the zoom function on its own.

There are three correct magnification sizes you can get this way (the fourth, most zoomed out view, even while holding the button, will not be pixel perfect).

I will note this does not seem to "snap" into these sizes as cleanly as the Nintendo Switch version, to the point that it can be hard to tell if this is even happening. I would recommend using the - / + keys, and HOLD them while holding Enter, and the place the zoom in stops while you're holding - or + should be one of the correct sizes.

This command overlaps with the same button to toggle the filter on and off, but it will work so long as you hold the button while using zoom function (if the filter is accidentally changed during this, you can simply turn it off afterwards).


The program normally launches in windowed mode. To go into full screen mode, press Alt + Enter on the keyboard.


Please see the VS Mode section of this guide for the specifics of how it works in the port. To note, it only has local multiplayer, no in-built online play (although services like Steam Remote Play can be used).


There are a few changes and cut content, mostly resulting from the nature of porting this game to another system. These are all also true of the Nintendo Switch version. The first one noted here seems to have been due to feedback, however, as it originally only happened after an update to the Switch version.

• Character unlocks have been made easier: During the SECRET MEMBER unlock sequence, panel breaks will only hit the remaining panels you need, and no longer have a chance of hitting blank spaces. See the Character Unlock section for info on the process
  (This cannot be turned off)
  
• Console link options have been removed, as have all link related messages
  
• It is not possible to fight against another player's MY Entry character (VS MODE battles use a duplicate save file for the second player)

• CFC LINK could connect to SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters Clash to unlock data.
  
• DC LINK and KOF link used a cable to connect to Sega Dreamcast games Capcom vs SNK and The King of Fighters 99: Dream Match 1999 (a port of KOF 98) to swap currency
  
• There was a lot of character dialogue you could view by going to these modes even without the cables connected, but sadly that is inaccessible on Steam
  
• If your cable disconnected during VS Mode, there were also special character messages. Those are also gone due to this port lacking a way to simulate the link cable being disconnected

All fighters share a number of commands, which may be altered further by one of the following:
-Selected Style - Average, Counter, or Rush
-If Tag mode was selected

Command examples below assume player is on the 1P side (left side) of the screen
These commands should be input in reverse when on the opposite side.
Example: If you are on the right hand side of the screen, hold → to Block instead of ←

I will be using some shorthand which is be seen throughout this FAQ:
P = Punch
K = Kick

Command Moves: Attacks requiring an extra input
(ex: → + P = Ryu's downward punch)
Special Moves (Specials): Attacks requiring specific inputs
(ex: ↓↘→ + P = Ryu's Hadouken fireball)
Super Moves (Supers): Attacks which cost accumulated Power Gauge to execute
(ex: ↓↘→↓↘→ + P = Ryu's Shinku Hadouken super fireball)


Punch and Kick strengths will also determine the properties of Special Moves.

For example: Performing Ryu's Hadouken with Weak Punch throws a slow fireball. Using Heavy Punch throws a faster fireball.

There are also some additional universal commands that go beyond the basics.


For Throw, some characters will have a different throw depending on whether the P or K button is used. This may end up throwing the opponent a different distance.

Throws can grab an opponent even if they are Blocking.

The way Guard Cancel Attack expends power gauge varies by Style, and is detailed in their respective sections. But in general, it uses the equivalent of a Level 1 Super Move.

When playing in Tag mode, you have two characters available who can actively tag out when needed. So this mode adds the following exclusive commands:


-Switch will cause your teammate to tag in by flying into the screen with an attack, while the current character escapes.
-If the attack hits the enemy, it will knock them down.
-The replacement character will do a taunt (unique from the normal Provoke command), which will leave them vulnerable briefly.

-Guard Cancel Switch does the same as the above, but breaks out of Blocking state to do so.
-This may be safer than a normal switch, since it can guarantee the swapped in character hits. But, in some positions (especially if you're blocking in the corner), it may cause the tag partner to sail over the enemy and still be open to attack during their taunt.

-The way Guard Cancel Attack Switch power gauge varies by Style, and is detailed in their respective sections. But in general, for Counter and Rush, it uses the equivalent of a Level 1 Super Move.
-In Average however, it uses a very small amount of gauge, something like 20 percent. It can only be executed when the power gauge is at or above Level 1, though.

Before selecting your character(s), you can choose from one of three styles. These change or provide the following:
-Extra commands (whether you can dash, run, etc)
-How your Power Gauge functions
-What kind of activity builds your Power Gauge
-Additional attributes

The three styles are:
-Average
-Counter
-Rush

Some extra options doable on the character selection screen under certain circumstances.

On the character select screen, hold down the selection button over your choice instead of tapping it once. They will switch to their 2P color.

This only works in one player modes. In VS MODE the first player always gets default color and the second always get 2P color.


In Tag or Team mode, after selecting a character, pressing the Option button (Tab) will void out the remaining spots. This will allow you to play that mode with fewer characters than normal.

-In Tag, you can play with 1 character instead of 2.
-In Team, you can play with 1 to 2 characters instead of 3.

As the manual describes this as a "Handicap Match" and I can see no differences in gameplay, it appears health and damage values do not adjust to compensate the apparent disadvantage.

If used in VS MODE with another player, and both players void out all remaining spots, it'll be a single match with no additional rounds regardless of the settings in Set Up.

An overview of the game's various options.



Set Up is hard to miss, as it is one of two options presented to you on the title screen when you start the game. START goes to the Main Menu, SET UP to the first menu.

Overview of the main menu's bottom two selections.



This is basically the game's Training Mode, although it can also be used for fun things like endless CPU battles.

During battle, press the Option button at any time to return to this menu. The game will remember whatever settings you last left this at, so you can set it to your preferred once and not have to redo it every time.


Average
Lv1
-Power Gauge always at Level 1
Lv2
-Power Gauge always at Level 2

Counter
Lv1
-Health always low and flashing (Unlimited Level 1 Supers bonus active)
-Power Gauge Charge will not work (so you can only do Level 1 Supers)
Lv2
-Health always low and flashing
-Maximum mode always active and full (so you can only do Level 2 Supers)

Rush
Lv1
-All Power Stocks filled
-Same result with both options





This section will show your win/lose rate across various modes.

It also happens to be home to the option for deleting all of your data, should you choose to do so.


The win/lose rate for NORMAL and VS are different, since they will track from different modes exclusively. The basic formatting is the same, though:


INIT - Deleting all data



Although this is located in the Record menu, as the warning says, this will initialize everything: Using this option will delete EVERYTHING saved, from your record data to MY Character entries to unlockable content.

This is of course useful if you have a reason to delete this data, such as if you are giving the game to someone else, or want to experience the entire thing from scratch again.

On the Player Select screen, there is an extra slot for "MY", usable in Tourney and VS Mode. This uses a customizable selection made in Entry, applying specifically to if you're in Single, Tag, or Team fights at the time.

On this Steam PC port, while in VS MODE, the second player uses a duplicate of the first player's data. This means their MY entries will all be exactly the same. It works the same as ever in single player, of course.


MY CHARA will be for Single modes, MY TAG for Tag and MY TEAM for Team.

Filling out each of these will change what you get when selecting MY while playing that particular fighting mode. This means you can only have one set of each type at a time. You can always come back to Entry and change what you have for each, though.

Each of these has its own separate Win/Loss count under Record for NORMAL (Tourney) and VS, also with a total adding them all up (although MY CHARA is called MY ONE). Note that even if you change the character(s) used or other info, the records will stay the same and still count from there.


When first selecting an Entry the first time, you'll have to select a character. You then get a menu from that point forward:

• CHAR-ADD will let you repick your character. Note that if you hold down A to change to 2P colors, this will be remembered
  (This is the only way to change MY colors manually. If you play VS Mode, character colors are still forced, as per that section)
  
• BGM lets you select the music played for them in VS. This includes hidden character and stage themes regardless of your unlock progress, so keep that in mind if you're concerned about spoilers
  
• WINLINE is the text that appears under the character on the WINNER screen upon complete victory
  (This does not change the between round character quotes)

MY TAG and MY TEAM have most of the same options, letting you pick more than one character as per those modes.

• It will also remember your color choice, per each character (i.e. you can have a Tag 1P color Leona and 2P color Athena)
  
• There is now also a TAG or TEAM option, where you can name the group. This appears above battle intros in Tourney and VS Mode

Text Entry

• A button will enter selected text, B button will backspace on space. There are upper and lower case letters
  
• END will save your changes and go back. QUIT will go back without saving any changes you just made
  
• Tag or Team names give you about one line of space, win lines give two
  
• There are < and > arrows to reposition the cursor at the bottom
  
• It is possible to write things, use the arrows to go back to a point, then type something in that will push the existing text off of the end of the line. That can sometimes be easier than backspacing everything

Additional Notes

• The MY option on Player Select won't work at all if Entry hasn't been filled out for that team type
  
• Using the Option button to void out the remaining selections on the Player Select screen works here too. So you can have a MY Tag consisting of 1 character, or a MY Team of 1 or 2 characters, if you really want
  
• If you change the system language, the name and quotes entered will still remain the same. So it's possible to view Japanese text even in the English version this way. The Japanese version also has access to the English upper and lower case letters from the start, though
  
• Once again, on Steam PC (and Nintendo Switch), in VS MODE, the second player uses a duplicate of the first player's data, so all their MY entries will be exactly the same

VS MODE will start local 2 Player mode. You can play 1v1, Tag, and Team battles against another player, using the same keyboard or a different controller. Please be aware there is no in-built online play, although other services like Steam Remote Play can be used.

This was originally home to all link cable related activities, including Console Links, where you could exchange data with certain other Neo Geo Pocket Color and Sega Dreamcast games. This would allow you to do things like trade VS points between currency in those games, unlock character blocks, and see fun messages from the characters as part of guiding you through the link process. But, that content has been excised from this port of the game.

• The first player will always have the default character colors and the second player will always have 2P colors
  
• The above will even override selections for MY Characters

• Both players can press Option to Pause the game - PAUSE will appear on their side at the top of the screen. It is possible to have each side pause at the same time, and the game will only resume when BOTH players have unpaused.
  
• For Tag and Team, in Set Up, there is an option called HIDE. This is OFF by default. If this is turned ON, on the Order Select screen after picking characters, your opponent will not be able to see the order you're choosing for your characters to go in from their own screen
  (Since both player screens are visible during selections for the Steam version, this option isn't so useful on this port)

After a match completes, you get a screen where you can Continue with the same matchup, Change to switch characters, or you can pick to switch to the other two fighting modes. Or, Save & End will quit (saving your win/lose records).




After you pick VS MODE and then a Vs game type, this port will open a "second" system to play the game. Press any key when you see this other system (with "PLEASE WAIT" on one screen), and it will split into two separate screens so each player can make their initial selections.



At this point, you will be able to change the second player's controllers from the System Menu (Esc key). The two systems will reappear on screen when you go over Controls.

• With default keyboard controls, second player uses Numpad keys: directions (4 / 8 / 6 / 2), Num * for A, Num - for B, and Num / (forward slash) for Option.
  
• The second player appears to be running on a duplicate of your save data, as they will have the same character unlock progress and the same MY Entry character choices.

Once both players have finished selecting their play Style and characters, the display will merge into one screen. Your previously selected display preferences are used here.



Once a fight is complete, the screen splits again - each player can make a selection, and the first to press a button is prioritized. You can either continue with the same characters, change characters, switch to one of the other two player amount modes, or select Save & End. This ensures your win/lose count is saved to the Record section (this will only count the results for the first player side).

Tourney is essentially the main mode of the game, the kind usually called Arcade or Story mode in other titles.




The ending depends on if you beat your character's Rival. The Rival fight occurs after Stage 4.

Unlike other stages, if you lose the rival fight, the game will go on without going to the continue screen or having the option to re-do the fight. This locks you into getting the Bad Ending.

The Bad Ending is generic and always the same. You will not fight the true last boss.

The True Ending path will allow you to fight the true last boss, who will be different depending on if you picked an SNK or Capcom character. This ending is unique to your first (or only) chosen character. There will be small variations depending on if you picked an SNK or Capcom character, or if you played Tag or Team mode, and who your teammates were.



Difficulty in this mode is determined by the setting in Set Up, which is Normal by default. The options are:
Novice, Easy, Normal, Hard, Brutal, Gamer

Here's what to expect going from beginning to end.


-The character who serves as your Rival can appear as a regular fight in the normal stages, but the Rival Fight will still occur as expected


Under "Set Up" on the title screen, there is an option called STAGE. It will allow you to select which of the initial stages of Tourney you start on - 1, 2, 3, 4, or FINAL.

You can start selecting stages other than 1 only if you have beaten that respective stage on a Tourney playthrough at least once (you don't even have to finish the game). It will always start from there until you change it again.

You can use this to skip ahead in Tourney, but there are some caveats to be aware of:

• Selecting a stage other than 1 will result in the "SECRET MEMBER!" screen never appearing even if you beat Tourney, so you cannot unlock hidden characters if you start on another stage
  
• It will also make runs not count towards the 100 completions needed to unlock Movie Select
  
• You cannot pick the boss fights at the end of the game directly
  
• You cannot pick the Rival fight directly. Stage 4 is the fight right before it though, and will lead into it
  
• If you start from Stage FINAL, the game acts like you lost the Rival fight and you'll be locked into the Bad Ending

I would recommend using this only once you've unlocked all the characters you want, to see specific character dialogue and endings a bit faster.

There are eight hidden characters available by beating Tourney mode. Each time you beat Tourney, you'll go to a "SECRET MEMBER!" screen. An amount of panels will break to help reveal a hidden character, and they will be unlocked when all are cleared.


There are 4 SNK characters and 4 Capcom characters, divided into 4 sets, which determines who you unlock next.

• When beating Tourney with an SNK character, you will be brought to the Secret Member screen for the next unlockable SNK character. Capcom character will lead to the next Secret Member for Capcom.
  (Your "main" character selected for Tourney is always the first you pick if you play Tag or Team mode)
  
• Once one character in a set is unlocked, the other character in the set will be the next to come up regardless of if you pick SNK or Capcom characters.
  
• After each of the two characters in that set are unlocked, the process repeats, allowing you to determine which of the two characters in the next set you unlock first.

When a character is unlocked, this also makes their unlockable Super Move appear for purchase in Olympic mode under Master Skill.


The amount of panels that break first depends on if you got the Bad or True ending, and the difficulty you beat Tourney on.

In the original version, the random "break" effect can happen on empty spaces, meaning you are not guaranteed to break the remaining panels you need on each attempt.

For the Steam PC (and Nintendo Switch) port, the above line about empty spaces is no longer true: panel breaks will ALWAYS hit panels you have not hit yet. (This is an intentional change to make the process easier. It does not seem it can be turned off.)



These depend on your performance and which of the four character unlock sets you're on.



As these modifiers suggest, it is progressively harder to unlock the latter characters.

This game has a number of secrets and easter eggs, but there is content that requires specific action to unlock


These are the main things anyone playing the game will be on the lookout for.

Hidden Characters

• Unlocked from playing Tourney
  
• There 8 total, 4 SNK characters and 4 Capcom characters
  
• See the Tourney section for the full info on that mode, in particular Unlocking Characters

New Super Moves

• Each character has a new super move that can be unlocked using points earned in Olympic
  
• This includes each one of the hidden characters, once they're unlocked
  
• See the Olympic section for full info on that mode, in particular Master Skill if you want to preview the moves available

Some items that are less essential, but have specific requirements all the same.

Stage Select

• In Set Up, you can select any of the five normal stages in Tourney you have beaten
  
• You will probably get this without trying or thinking too hard about it
  
• It should be noted starting anywhere but Stage 1 will disable your ability to unlock things. See the Tourney section for more info

Secret Tourney

• Unlocked from unlocking all Hidden Characters
  
• The Tourney's possible opponents will now include the hidden characters, except two normal final bosses (Geese and M. Bison)

Secret Credits

• Unlocked from unlocking all Hidden Characters
  
• The credits show all characters from either SNK or Capcom's side, with the sepia tone changed

Final Credits

• Beat Tourney 100 times
  
• The credits now include both SNK and Capcom characters, regardless of your first character's side

A menu where all cutscenes and endings can be viewed. You get to select Single, Tag, or Team, and the character(s) involved, allowing you to sample every variant possible.

Once unlocked, to access this menu, press the Option button on the intro while the "SNK vs Capcom" graphic is on the screen.

There is one normal way to unlock it:

Beat Tourney 100 times

• Only winning with the True Ending counts
  
• Using Stage Select to start further in does not count
  
• Any difficulty level is fine

There is a second method which involves inserting the original game cart into a Neo Geo Pocket black and white system. This is not possible on the Steam PC version however, since it offers no method to replicate the black and white system.

For the Nintendo Switch, the second method is possible if you have Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1, but it cannot be done with the individual download version (since it does not have a black & white system mode). It should be noted the "Steam Edition" of that compilation CANNOT do this, since SNK vs Capcom is replaced by Crush Roller.

This is a mode where you compete in events to set records and earn Versus points. Points can then be spent on unlocking new Super Moves, one available for each character in the game (including the hidden ones).

The events range from expected fighting game extras like Survival and Time Attack, to mini-games featuring various other SNK and Capcom characters.

The complete list of Super Moves and their cost can be found in the Olympic - Master Skill section located under this overview.


Selecting a team will allow you to play as their characters in Olympic events (including any hidden ones you've unlocked), and all your opponents will be from the opposite team. There are event mini-games exclusive to each.

You're free to select either team and their events at any time - you're not locked in to one or the other.

Each team has a different Manager, who will guide you through each mode, and have their own unique lines for everything. There is also a Talk mode where you can listen to them and select responses.

What dialogue you get will change over time if you keep getting better records in events: as you improve, your Manager's general disposition towards you will change.

There are events which are available to both sides. All the shared events are the fighting game modes.

Shared Events
Survival
Time Attack
First Blast

SNK
Target 9
Blade Arts

Capcom
Ghost Trick
Cat Walk

When you get a score high enough in an event, you'll get a medal, listed under Record. These aren't required to get Versus, but are generally associated with higher values, and also help improve each Manager's outlook.



Both team Managers, Rimururu and Karin Kanzuki, will have unique dialogue throughout Olympic mode, and this also extends to Talk. This is an option where you can see dialogue and at times answer some questions with multiple choices. You can talk with them multiple times to get different dialogues, and also provide different answers to the same dialogue if desired.

Over time, if you continue to set more Records in Olympic events and those scores improve, their dialogue will change, both in and out of the Talk sequences. For this reason, it's a good idea to check in on Talk every so often if you don't want to miss anything.

Fio in Target 9

When playing Olympic mode's SNK side mini-game Target 9, press the Option button before the "READY" warning appears on screen.



This will switch the character to Fio. This has two changes:

Character name and portrait in the upper left corner changes to Fio.
If while playing as Fio, you hit a new high score which appears in Record, a sprite of Fio will appear on the pedestal instead of Marco.

Alternate Cat Walk Aesthetics

When playing Olympic mode's Capcom side mini-game Cat Walk, select a song with the Option button instead of the A button. This will change the appearance of a few things:

• Felicia will be in her 2P color
  
• Direction symbols are replaced by mice
  
• A button symbols are replaced by fish
  
• B button symbols are replaced by bells

Ryu's Record

When Ryu sets a record for an Olympic Event, instead of appearing on the pedestal himself like every other character, a different scene is shown. This is a specific Street Fighter II reference.

This is where the new Super Moves are unlocked. You can select any to unlock if you have the right amount of Versus. Hidden character moves will become available once they are unlocked.

-Olympic Super Moves are Level 2 only (this means they won't work in Rush Style, even when unlocked)
-You can view and get any Super Moves from SNK/Capcom characters regardless of which team you picked before this
-When selecting a move you already unlocked, a description and reminder of its input command is given
-You can hold a maximum of 9999 Versus at a time

There's a good number of secrets in this game to cover. First, here's a reminder of other sections where some are already addressed:

• Unlockables Checklist
  
• Olympic - Secrets

And now on to the others...



Athena has a Super Move during which her outfit has a random chance of changing temporarily to another. The Neo Geo Pocket Color system's internal time may also change which she'll get as well. (This is set on the console menu when there's no cart in the system)

• For the Steam PC version, you can use Reset in the system menu (press Esc key) to manually change the date, as the emulator used there will allow you to access a portion of the Neo Geo Pocket Color interface from there.

Shining Crystal Bit Level 1
Normal (Same outfit)
Bathing suit with swim cap
School gym outfit
Original Athena bikini

Shining Crystal Bit Level 2
Normal (Same outfit), shining
Shrine maiden outfit
Santa outfit

• On December 25th, the Santa outfit is always guaranteed for Level 2

If you manage to KO an opponent using Shining Crystal Bit while changed into a different outfit, and it's not the final round (which will cause a fade out KO), you'll get a special win pose in that outfit.

• It is possible specific date ranges effect outfit probabilities, but I've never found a concrete confirmation of this
  
• The original Athena bikini a reference to the 1986 SNK arcade game Athena, and has appeared as part of the Shining Crystal Bit in past The King of Fighters games

As covered previously, holding the selection button over a character on Player Select will give you their 2P color, purple in Nakoruru's case.

In Nakoruru's case, this also alters two more things:

• Her portrait expression changes
  
• Win quotes that appear on the WINNER screen are different, generally much more aggressive and cruel

That is the extent of it - there will be nothing different about her end round quotes, story dialogue, endings, etc.

As for why this is the case, since the first Samurai Shodown, Nakoruru's alternate color has usually had a different, more deviant expression, separately referred to sometimes as Murasaki (Purple) Nakoruru. When Samurai Shodown III introduced Bust (Rasetsu) alternate playstyles, this alternate personality became even more of a thing. Later (after the release of SNK vs Capcom: MotM), a separate character named Rera was introduced to the series, based on her Bust version.

• If you are playing VS Mode, as mentioned in that section, the second player is locked into 2P colors - only they get Murasaki Nakoruru

When the language setting on the Neo Geo Pocket Color is changed to Japanese (done from the console menu with no cart in), there is some extra blood that is not present when set to English, notably from Haohmaru and Nakoruru's sword strikes, and Iori Yagami's Ya Otome multi-hit Super Move.

• It should be noted the English version does not cut all of the blood, as there is still some for Iori, Leona, and Nakoruru's throws, as well as Leona's Rebel Spark super move
  
• On the Steam PC version, you can use this version's system menu (press the Esc key) to go to Reset, then select to go to system setup, and this will allow you to access and change the console's language settings
  
• I might as well also note here you can freely switch the language without this having any negative effect on your save file

This game is not compatible with the original Neo Geo Pocket monochrome console, but it does have some exclusive extras when used with one: You can see exclusive illustrations (with unique dialogue in the Japanese version), and it's also possible to use this to activate a secret in which you can access Movie Select early.

These are not accessible in the Steam PC version. The only official emulated version of this game where you can change the system type to black & white is the Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 on Nintendo Switch (the Steam Edition of this collection does not contain this game and has Crush Roller instead).

If you are curious about the details on these, see my guide on GameFAQs.

The Movie Select can still be unlocked by beating the Tourney mode 100 times, as noted in the Unlockables Checklist.

This section will go over ways to try to speed up the unlocking process, using the methods provided in the game itself, and by this particular port.


This game gives you a lot of ways to enjoy the Tourney mode, as you can play it with a single character, a Tag, or a Team - you can see different endings and different dialogue with team members added on.

As noted in the Tourney section, the amount of panel breaks is dependent on Difficulty Level set, so I would recommend putting it as high as you feel comfortable and having fun with it from there.

...buuuuut, of course, if by a certain point you find yourself having trouble hitting the right panels, or are simply impatient, you may want some ways to get to the Hidden Character screen again faster and with less effort. So here's a strategy that may help.

Haohmaru's Mighty Sword Strategy

If you have a character you are very good with and can get through Tourney pretty quick at one of the higher difficulties, you're probably already in a good spot, and can just pick off some parts of this strategy if you think it helps. But, here's a method I feel is consistent and easy to do across all skill levels.

• 1 Go to Set Up and change a few things
  
• 2 Difficulty Level to Easy
  
• 3 Go to Battle Config, change Winning Point to 1
  (This makes it so Single matches only require one round)
  
• 4 Go to Tourney, select Single. Any fighting style is fine
  
• 5 Select Haohmaru (SNK side, main character from Samurai Shodown)
  
• 6 Haohmaru's heavy punch is a huge slash that does big damage. You can win in three to four hits
  
• 7 Keep slicing through the Tourney until done
  
• 8 Keep in mind you can press B to skip cutscenes and hold A to speed through the credits

Each attempt should take about 3 to 4 minutes, and provide 4 panel breaks by default.

As noted in the Unlocking Characters sections on Panel Modifiers, you'll get one less panel break for each set of unlockable characters, meaning this method will get slower over time. This may be incentive to play more normally at a higher difficulty level further on. But, all the same, this strategy is still stupid easy and consistent - the initial time savings are less impressive later, but there's almost no chance of screwing up, which can itself save time. The choice will be yours.

The Steam PC version (and Nintendo Switch port) alters the game so random panel breaks will only hit remaining panels, and never blank spaces. That makes this method even more reliable, since you will always make progress every run - even when it slows down, it won't come to a complete stop.

This change cannot be turned off and is always active.

Additional Considerations

• Difficulty can be bumped down to Novice, but that'll only give 3 panel breaks by default (0 for the last set)
  
• You can increase the difficulty, but the bosses will get more annoying at around Normal level. Absolutely doable, but it may not be as time efficient depending on your skill and luck
  
• On Steam PC (and Nintendo Switch), you could increase the difficulty and use the Rewind feature to correct mistakes, but futzing around with this is likely to take too much time
  
• Speaking of Rewind, it doesn't go back far enough to change where the panel breaks you get occur

Timer Scam

This is a strategy that can be combined pretty easily with any other:

• In SET UP, change TIME to 30 seconds
  
• During fights, as soon as you gain a life lead, focus on avoiding damage to win by TIME OVER

Although this is often easier said than done, it's a useful option to take on higher difficulties quicker if you have trouble beating them outright. Keep in mind actually beating up and defeating the enemy if you can is ultimately faster overall, but this can be a good backup.

It is a double edged sword though, as YOU can just as well lose to a time out from a slight health difference as well.


If you're gunning to unlock all the hidden moves, this will probably take that longest, as there's multiple moves that cost 9999 Vs.

Once again, if there is a specific event (or events) you're especially good at performing consistently at, you're more than likely already in fine shape. But, here's a way that is, once again, quite easy, consistent, and fairly fast for what it is.

Haohmaru's Mighty Sword Strategy (Again)

• 1 Pick the SNK Team for Olympic
  
• 2 Select Time Attack
  
• 3 Select Haohmaru (main character from Samurai Shodown)
  
• 4 Haohmaru's heavy punch is a huge slash that does big damage. You can win in three to four hits
  
• 5 Keep slicing through everyone until done
  
• 6 You should finish around or under a minute each time, and should get 350 Vs per run

Steam PC Rewind

For the Steam PC (and Nintendo Switch) versions, there is a Rewind feature, as noted in the section about these ports. It probably isn't hard to see how easily this can be gamed to outright cheat in the Olympic Events.

Good candidates for this are First Blast, Blade Arts (SNK), and Ghost Trick (Capcom). It can be used with the others too of course, but those will probably take the least amount of effort to recover from a Rewind, relatively speaking.

I have opted to use generally accepted terms like Special Move, Super Move, etc, to avoid confusion, but officially (in the manual) different terms were used. For the sake of it, here's a comparison:

From the title screen to SET UP > BATTLE CONFIG, there is an option called ABLE.

If this is turned on, Special Move commands will be simplified to a single directional input + a button. Super Move commands are done with the simplest possible motions.

Examples: Ryu's Hadouken fireball can be performed with → + P, his Shoryken uppercut can be done with ↓ + P, etc. His Shinku Hadouken super fireball can be done with ↓↘→ + P.

• Command Moves, which are themselves usually a single direction, will be disabled. This is true even for ones with no overlapping commands.
  
• Midair throws and wall jumps will still work.
  
• If a character has special moves done with ↓ like Ryu's Shoryuken, crouching normal attacks can still be done by crouching with ↙ or ↘ instead.
  
• Dan's Command Taunts will still work.

On the Move Lists, the commands used instead with Able turned on will be noted in their own column. If you do not use Able and don't intend to, you can ignore these.